Rundlet-May House, 1807
364 Middle Street
Portsmouth, N.H. 03801
(603) 436-3205
RundletMayHouse@HistoricNewEngland.org
Directions
Open: June through October 15
First and third Saturday of the month
Tours at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Admission: $6, Historic New England members and Portsmouth residents free
The merchant James Rundlet acquired his wealth in the textile
trade. To proclaim his success, he built his mansion on a terraced
rise above the street and filled it with the finest furnishings
available. He imported his wallpapers from England and purchased his
furniture from local cabinetmakers, whose work was noted for its fine
craftsmanship and striking use of veneer.
Rundlet also saw to it that his house was equipped with the latest
technologies. The kitchen boasts both a Rumford roaster and a Rumford
range, as well as a set kettle and an elaborate venting system that
services a smoke room on the third floor. There is an early
coal-fired central heating system and an indoor well.
The house is shown as it came to SPNEA, now known as Historic New England, from
Rundlet's descendants, with many of its original furnishings, as well
as some pieces added by later generations. The formal gardens, orchard, and
attached outbuildings (including two privies) remain as first used by Rundlet.
While in Portsmouth, be sure to vist the Governor John Langdon House and the
Jackson House. Also in the Piscataqua region are Hamilton House,
Sarah Orne Jewett, Gilman Garrison House, and
Sayward-Wheeler House.
Directions: Take I-95 to Exit 7 (Market Street).
Bear right after the railroad tracks. Turn right onto Deer Street.
Turn left onto Maplewood Avenue. In three blocks, follow the right
curve onto Middle Street. Rundlet-May House is three blocks down on
the right.
Discover more about the Rundlet-May House in the Historic New
England magazine archives:
